


What makes him Vulnerable.

by coockie8



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Scars, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 04:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17359220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coockie8/pseuds/coockie8
Summary: When Jack spills wine on Vlad, and he has to change, Danny sees something he's certain he was never supposed to see.





	What makes him Vulnerable.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how to tag this.
> 
> ::Edit::  
> I fixed the typos lol

Danny awkwardly picked at his food as he watched Vlad out of the corner of his eye. Apparently, he’d been in town, so Jack had offered the guest room, instead of Vlad having to get a hotel room. Danny didn’t get it; Vlad was a billionaire, so it wasn’t like spending _one_ night at a hotel was gonna kill him. Obviously, he knew it was because Jack was _convinced_ that he and Vlad were still friends, and he just wanted to spend time with him, but Danny didn’t like it. He didn’t like having Vlad so close.

He grumbled softly before shoving his plate away; he’d long lost his appetite. Jack was blathering on about some new invention, Vlad seemed only mildly interested. Until Jack, in his over enthusiasm, swung his hands a little too excitedly and knocked Vlad’s barely touched glass of wine all over him. Vlad had quickly pushed himself away from the table, but the damage had been done. Jack immediately stood and held his hands out

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” He panicked.

Vlad just sighed in frustration

“It’s fine,” He huffed as he stood “It’s just a shirt.”

Maddie stood and approached them

“Go upstairs and change, I’ll wash it. If we’re quick, maybe it won’t stain,” She offered.

Vlad smiled softly at her and nodded

“Thanks, Maddie,” He hummed before heading upstairs.

“Jack!” Maddie quickly called when Jack moved to head after Vlad “He’s not showing it, but he _is_ upset, I’m sure he doesn’t want to see you right now; go back to the lab.”

Jack pouted slightly but did as he was told. Maddie cleared her throat

“Danny, go into mine and your father’s room, and get a spare shirt for Vlad; it’ll be a little big on him, but it will have to do for now. Bring me Vlad’s shirt after, Okay?” She asked before heading off to the laundry room.

Danny grumbled before heading upstairs to do as he was told. Once in his parents’ room, he pulled open the top drawer on his dad’s dresser and pulled out a plain, white t-shirt. It wasn’t something Jack wore very often, so everyone would be happy.

He headed to the guest room and walked in without knocking. He stopped dead when he saw Vlad standing there, completely shirtless. Danny didn’t even notice his rippling abs, and sculpted chest at first, he was too distracted by the dozens of straight-edged scars on Vlad’s ribs, wrists, upper arms, and hips. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were from; self-harm. Danny was willing to bet his left arm that Vlad’s thighs, and maybe even shins or calves were covered in them as well. Then Danny noticed Vlad’s perfectly sculpted body, only to have his attention drawn to the dozens of _other_ scars that littered Vlad’s back. Some were straight-edged, like from a knife; more than a few were very clearly from cigarette burns. Some were jagged, like from glass. And some were just… Strange. Like, from a belt maybe. There was one long, straight, horizontal burn scar along Vlad’s lower back that looked like he’d leaned back against a hot stove… Or was _held_ back against a hot stove.

“Can I help you, Daniel?” Vlad’s voice pulled Danny from his ogling.

“Huh, what?” He stammered before blushing deeply when he realized he’d been caught.

His eyes roamed over Vlad’s body one last time, and he noted that Vlad had an ass like a Greek God. He quickly shook his head and put the shirt down on the desk

“M-Mom told me to bring you that,” He stammered; now looking _anywhere_ but at Vlad.

“Oh, well, thank you,” Vlad hummed; approaching the shirt, and therefore, Danny.

The younger halfa stepped back when Vlad approached, which made the elder laugh

“What do you think I’m going to do? Attack you in your own home?” He teased.

Danny looked up at Vlad and opened his mouth to retort, but now that he was looking at Vlad, and up so close, he just noticed _more_ scars. Small, strange ones on his neck; along what Danny could vaguely indentify as Vlad’s carotid artery. He remembered it from biology. They looked like… _Needle_ scars. Like _someone_ had taken a _lot_ of blood from there. Danny tore his gaze away and cleared his throat; glancing briefly at the inside of Vlad’s elbows, and saw more of those strange, small scars. Definitely needle scars.

“Were you a drug addict?” It honestly just slipped out before he could stop it.

“Hmm?” Vlad hummed before looking down at his arm and chuckling “Oh. No, I’m not an addict,” He assured “These are from my time in the hospital, after the accident.”

Danny nodded in understanding before frowning

“Why… Are there scars? If it was from the hospital?” He asked; he’d had blood taken, and it never left him scarred. If Vlad had been hospitalized, shouldn’t he have had an IV in his hand, or something?

“If you’re wondering why they didn’t just use an IV, it was because they couldn’t,” He explained with a shrug “My body was reacting harshly to the radiation from the accident, and the cannula would either get infected, or it would bleed profusely.”

Danny made a quiet ‘OH’ motion of understanding; that made sense.

“It’s not like there was really much they could do anyway, but keep me in quarantine, and hope I didn’t die,” Vlad mumbled; like it was a bitter after-thought “The scars are from when they had to take blood for tests, when they had to sedate me, or from Morphine shots.”

Without even thinking, Danny gently grabbed Vlad’s arm and softly caressed the needle scars with his thumb; just staring at them. His chest felt heavy, and he realized that what he was feeling was… Something like second-hand guilt. Pity, maybe. Whatever it was, it felt _bad_. He felt _bad_ for Vlad. Sure, they didn’t get along, and Vlad was a jerk, but _no one_ deserves to go through what Vlad went through, and certainly not _alone_. Danny swallowed thickly; he supposed he could understand why Vlad was so bitter.

“Does it hurt?” He asked softly; looking up to meet Vlad’s gaze.

His eyes were soft, almost vulnerable

“No, not anymore,” He breathed.

Danny let his hand trail down to ghost his fingers over the scars on Vlad’s wrists. He stroked them gently with his thumb for a moment before reaching out to soothe the ones on his ribs; holding Vlad’s gaze. The silence was so _loud_.

“Why?” It was simple, and invasive, but Danny couldn’t take the deafening quiet anymore.

“When I was your age,” Vlad started; glancing down at Danny’s hand briefly before meeting his gaze again “I _really_ hated myself.”

Danny swallowed thickly; simple, yet vague. It was the obvious answer; people don’t cut themselves out of love. He swallowed and trailed his fingers down Vlad’s side, to rest at his hip; these ones were so deep. Almost like he’d been trying to cut something out. Danny couldn’t understand why Vlad was letting him do this. It was so vulnerable.

“Why?” He asked again.

Vlad finally reached down at took Danny’s hand; pulling it away from the scars, only to yank him closer so he could press Danny’s hand to the burn scar on his back

“Because my father convinced me that I wasn’t worthy of love,” He whispered before sliding Danny’s hand below the scar; dipping into the back of Vlad’s pants just slightly to feel the bumps of what must have been another scar “ _Your_ father convinced me I was.”

Danny’s eyes widened and he let out a shaky breath; not a scar, a tattoo. Then, Vlad released Danny’s hand and grabbed the shirt; pulling it over his head, and ruffling his hair a bit

“I should take this down to your mother, even though there is _no_ way she’s saving it,” He chuckled as he left the room, his ruined shirt in tow.

What Vlad had said kept echoing in Danny’s head

_Your father convinced me I was._

That could have _so many_ meanings behind it, but Danny found himself unable to settle on any single one. Vlad was so insistent that he was in love with Maddie, but it was _Jack_ who made him vulnerable.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea if this really counts as pompous pep, or if it's more badger cereal-y, I have no clue. The Jack/Vlad is heavily implied though, and that is intended to be romantic. I guess you can see whatever the fuck is going on with Danny and Vlad in this fic however the fuck you want to see it.
> 
> I might continue this as a series, not too sure. Let me know if you want to see more.
> 
> Please comment. Comments make me a happy writer, and happy writers write more.


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